U.S.-Brazil Relations In 'Difficult' Spot Over Spying

Spying allegations and a delayed state visit have breached once-strong ties between the United States and Brazil, and only time will rebuild trust, analysts said Wednesday.

"This is a very unfortunate incident," said Riordan Roett, director of the Latin American studies program at Johns Hopkins University.

"The US government had hoped to created a much stronger relationship with Brazil, which is the most important country in the region, and clearly this is not going to happen."

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's indefinite postponement of her long-planned visit to Washington marks a clear setback in the two countries' efforts for rapprochement.

The visit had been scheduled for October 23 but was called into question after documents leaked by the former National Security Agency intelligence contractor revealed the widespread American spying on its Brazilian ally....

Analysts noted that Rousseff's postponement of the US trip comes as she suffers slumping popularity after last June's nationwide street protests.

Christopher Sabatini, senior director of policy at the Americas Society and Council of the Americas in New York, said the two leaders needed to define stages in order to restore confidence.

"The relationship is not broken, but cracked. On both sides," he said.

"I think the key is to know exactly what Brazil wants. Is it an apology?"

Obama has ordered a review of intelligence procedures, but that will take weeks. And despite both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden speaking with Rousseff, along with Secretary of State John Kerry visiting Brazil, the Brazilian leader still chose to cancel her state visit.

Rubens Barbosa, a former Brazilian ambassador to the United States, said the two governments agreed to postpone Rousseff's visit in the absence of the necessary "political conditions...."

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